Style Fashion Week L.A.: Stop Staring mines Mexican cinema

Style Fashion Week L.A. kicked off a five-day run at the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles on Monday with local retro-chic label Stop Staring.

For her fall and winter 2012 collection, head designer Alicia Estrada turned to "Epoca de Oro" -- the Golden Age of Mexican cinema -- as channeled through the likes of Dolores del Rio, Maria Felix, Marga Lopez and Lupe Velez, whom Estrada described in her show notes as "the great beauties of Mexican film noir."

The result was a range of sultry, seductive and body-hugging dresses that switch up the bold retro prints of past seasons for the kind of subtle houndstooth checks, chevrons, plaids and microdots that wouldn't have looked out of place in the early seasons of "Mad Men."

Several of the monochromatic pieces were the most memorable, though, including three different takes on the curve-conscious red dress, several fitted black lace dresses with fur capelets, and a silver metallic dress that shimmered like a vintage sharkskin suit. But the standout was the final look, a form-fitting, floor-length gown in shimmering gold sequins that brought the audience members to their feet for a standing ovation.

It was an applause-worthy moment for two reasons: First, because it was a simply beautiful dress that managed to make the model look both smolderingly sexy and elegant at the same time. But it also marked the first time in L.A.'s current fractured Fashion Week lineup that I'd seen a dress truly worthy of the Hollywood red carpet.

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Stop Staring kicks off thin slate of Style Fashion Week shows

Style Fashion Week LA Day One: Stop Staring's retro-evolution

Concept L.A. Fashion Week, fall/winter 2012: Nuvula, Gypsy Junkies

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Looks from the Stop Staring fall/winter 2012 runway show, which took place on Monday during Style Fashion Week L.A. at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Vivien Killilea / WireImage

Concept LA Fashion Week, fall/winter 2012: Nuvula, Gypsy Junkies

On March 9, with the kickoff charity runway shows and cocktail parties out of the way, the serious business of Los Angeles Fashion Week got underway, with Concept LA Fashion Week at the Ace Gallery leading the charge.

But by the end of the first runway show we found ourselves trying to will a couple of those cocktails into our immediate future. That's because Nuvula's catwalk presentation started at 5:47 p.m. and the models didn't take their final turn on the runway until a full 35 minutes later at 6:22 p.m. (To put this in perspective, even the most elaborate, over-the-top international luxury brands rarely stage shows that exceed the seven-minute mark.)

I bring this up because it illustrates one of the ongoing problems with making a unified,

Los Angeles Fashion Week is set to kick off Thursday

With the fall and winter 2012 Paris ready-to-wear shows over, it's time to bring the fashion focus a bit closer to home. Following are some of the noteworthy scheduled events of Los Angeles' 10-day Fashion "Week," which begins Thursday:

"Attire to Inspire," a Thursday evening cocktail party, fashion show and silent auction fundraiser for BREATHE LA (a nonprofit focusing on lung health and air quality) is set to include Moods of Norway, Yotam Solomon and eco-contemporary label VBN. It is open to the ticket-buying public at the Conga Room in downtown Los Angeles. Cocktails will kick off at 6:30 p.m. followed by an 8 p.m. fashion show.

Attire to Inspire, Conga Room at L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., $125 tickets available at attiretoinspire.eventbrite.com

"Meet the Designer & The Muse," a cocktail party organized by Fashion Group International Los Angeles is scheduled for Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., making it the first style-centric event out of the gate. Taking place at Ace Gallery Los Angeles in association with Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week (which begins its run of installations and shows the next evening), its goal is to honor "the creative relationship" between designer and muse, while raising scholarship funds for fashion design students in Southern California.

To date, the list of designers slated to attend (arm-in-arm with their respective muses) includes Louis Verdad, Skingraft's Jonny Cota, Sue Wong and Petro Zillia's Nony Tochterman. Open to the public, a $50 ticket gets you a 7:30 p.m.-to-9:30 p.m. cocktail party and a musical performance by Annie Trousseau. Double the dollars and get in an hour earlier for a red carpet VIP champagne reception.

Meet the Designer & the Muse, Ace Gallery Los Angeles, 5514 Wilshire Blvd., tickets available at fgila.org.

Concept Fashion Week is set to return to the Ace Gallery Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday with a roster of designer installations and runway shows from the likes of Henry Duarte, Mike Vensel, Bryan Hearns, Nuvula, S&G, Chambers, Thai Nuygen, Curly V, Belle N. Matisse, Laili Lau, NAMI and Jen Awad. (Open to industry buyers, media and invitees only.)

Concept Fashion Week, Ace Gallery Los Angeles, 5514 Wilshire Blvd., additional information at conceptfw.com

London Show Rooms Los Angeles, an initiative of the British Fashion Council that made its debut here in October 2011, is scheduled to make its sophomore outing in the City of Angels March 13-15 when it showcases the fall 2012 collections of U.K. brands such as E. Tautz, Nicholas Kirkwood, Roksanda Ilincic, Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto. (Open to industry buyers, media and invitees only.)

London Show Rooms Los Angeles, Ace Gallery Los Angeles, 5514 Wilshire Blvd.

Style Fashion Week L.A. is to return to the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral downtown March 12-16 with a schedule that to date includes runway shows by Stop Staring!, Ina Soltani, XCVI, Skingraft and L’une Collection by Anh Volcek. (Open to industry buyers, media and invitees only.)

Style Fashion Week L.A., Vibiana, 214 S. Main St., additional information at stylefashionweek.com

Sue Wong previews her fall 2012 "Autumn Sonata" collection during a March 16 champagne lunch at her 6th Street atelier (Open to invitees only.)

L.A. Fashion Weekend is set to take place March 16-18 at Sunset Gower Studios with one multi-brand runway showcase each night, featuring labels such as Betsey Johnson, Vilorija by Jelena Vujanovic, Sarahi House of Fashion, Ashlee Brooks and a television-centric final night scheduled to include labels designed with, inspired by or featured on "Real Housewives of Orange County," "Gossip Girl," and NBC's new style-focused reality show, "Fashion Star" (Open to industry buyers, media and invitees only.)

L.A. Fashion Weekend, Sunset Gower Studios, 6040 W. Sunset Blvd., more information and a complete list of brands at losangelesfw.com

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Gen Art makes a return to the runway

Anthony Franco kicks off L.A. Fashion Weekend

Moss Adams Fashion Innovator award goes to Nally & Milly

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Runway looks from Style Fashion Week's Gen Art Fresh Faces showcase in October 2011 included, from left, Odylyne, Funktional and Chambers. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Anthony Franco kicks off L.A. Fashion Weekend

Anthony Franco's spring 2012 runway show opened L.A. Fashion Weekend's three-day run at Sunset Gower Studios on Friday night.

The collection of men's and women's pieces was inspired by a vacation the designer recently took to Zihuata, Mexico. The influence was reflected in a color palette heavy on the vibrant oranges, pinks and yellows of a tropical sunset. Beading, crystals and other embellishments -- especially on dresses -- called to mind the kind of glyphs and shapes found on the Mayan calendar and on Central American pyramids.

The motif was further underscored by fern designs printed on silk shorts, bandeau tops and dresses and hand-beaded onto women's swimsuits. (Intricate beading is one of Franco's signatures.)

Though there was nothing wrong with the menswear Franco sent down the runway -- perfectly wearable, trim plaid and striped suits, sweaters and neckties in tobacco brown, sky blue and sunset orange -- it seemed to lack the relaxed vibe of the women's pieces. It was as if the menswear inspiration had been accidentally left home alone while the designer decamped south of the border.

RELATED:

Gen Art makes a return to the runway

Moss Adams Fashion Innovator award goes to Nally & Milly

Anthony Franco mines 'Scarface' and Helmut Newton for fall 2011

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Looks from the Anthony Franco spring and summer 2012 runway collection shown Oct. 21, the opening night of Los Angeles Fashion Weekend at Sunset Gower Studios. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

Gen Art makes a return to the runway

Gen Art, the organization known for fostering new talent in fashion and film, stopped operations 18 months ago, but this season it made an impressive return to the L.A Fashion Week lineup.  

Held at the former cathedral of St. Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night, the event drew a slew of excited guests including a solid group of media and buyers to the gaggle of goody-bag-toting revelers who seem to pop up at every fashion-related event this time of year.   

Zoe Saldana played host for the evening, mentioning in a pre-show chat that she is a huge supporter of new designers and is always on the lookout for new talent, not only to wear, but also for her website My Fashion Database (an “IMDb for fashion” she launched two years ago with her boyfriend Keith Britton).

“We want to continue to affiliate ourselves with organizations that support young, up-and-coming talent,” said Saldana, clad in an Antonio Berardi cocktail dress and Giuseppe Zanotti peep-toe pumps. “Everybody starts somewhere.”

For a few of the lines that showed Saturday evening, the runway that sliced through the middle of the former cathedral might be that “somewhere.” 

The lines that showed at this season’s Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion were: We are Handsome, Dear Creatures, Odylyne, Chambers, 71 Stanton, Funktional, Stand and Deliver, as well as accessory lines Sticks and Stones, Iman Toloui, Plomo and Tomtom.

Standouts included a menswear line called Chambers that had a heavily grunge feel throughout seen mainly in varsity style jackets with leather sleeves and flannel button-downs tied around the waist of wax-coated skinny jeans. The medley of Nirvana songs that served as a soundtrack helped drive the early-'90s sentiment home. Contemporary women’s label 71 Stanton sent out a sporty lineup of racerback tanks, sheer paneled hooded jackets and paper bag waist shorts in summery colors like melon and off white. There was a simple ease to the entire line but a fresh and sporty twist that made it stand apart from the typical contemporary collection. 

Stand and Deliver didn’t deliver the most original collection (a lot of black leather, spikes, studs and a dash of S&M) that carried the moody influence of Gareth Pugh mixed with the more youthful and darkly bedazzled look of Balmain. They even staged a mosh-pit fight between two male models, adding a punk attitude to the already overt rebellious references. 

In the leafy courtyard of the space, several accessory lines presented their spring/summer 2012 collections. Each was impressive for their strong direction, focused and well-edited collections and understated approach to design. A Portland-based jewelry line called Sticks and Stones used natural materials like fossilized deer mandibles and woolly mammoth ivory to create cuff links, tie bars and pendants (which were hung on contrasting recycled red chain; some of the fancier pendants were speckled with tiny black diamonds). The pieces make as much sense for a department store as they would for an Exploratorium gift shop. “I’m a bit of a science nerd,” said Sticks and Stones designer Stephan Alexander. No kidding. 

A locally based and made bag line called Iman Toloui showed just a few styles, including a satchel style bag and tote. The line is super simple, offering each style in just straightforward black or brown leathers, minimal hardware and easy, classic shapes.

Also L.A. based, Tomtom jewelry is made by architect-turned-designer Elena Coleman Howell who applies her architectural design skills to accessories. The result is angular pieces like triangle (shark tooth-shaped) pendants made from blue agate and hung on a bronze chain and rough cut crystals encased in chevron-shaped bronze.

It was nice to see Gen Art back on the scene, curating a solid lineup of promising talent and giving them somewhere to showcase and hopefully catapult their fledgling lines.

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Moss Adams Fashion Innovator award goes to Nally & Milly

Style Fashion Week day one: Alternative Apparel's oasis of color

Zoe Saldana to host Gen Art's return to L.A Fashion Week

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Top: Looks from Chambers (left), Odylyne (middle) and Funktional (right). Second from top: Looks from We are Handsome (left) and Dear Creatures (right). Third from top: A look from 71 Stanton. Bottom: Models "fighting" in looks from Stand and Deliver. Credits: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award goes to Nally & Millie

This post has been updated. See below for details.

The third night of Style Fashion Week L.A. at Vibiana kicked off with the presentation of the Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award to local women's contemporary label Nally & Millie.

Before presenting the 2011 award to the label's owners Nally and James Park, accounting firm Moss Adams LLP's director of apparel, Martin Hughes, said the award is intended to recognize "a designer or company who has done something unique and innovative within the last year," and cited the label's use of color and pattern.

Past recipients of the award, which includes $5,000 worth of consulting services from Moss Adams, includes Corey Lynn Calter (2003) Frankie B (2004), Petro Zillia (2005), Rozae Nichols (2006), Juan Carlos Obando (2007) and Katy Rodriguez (2008). The award was not presented in 2009 or 2010. [For the record, Oct. 22, 12:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly spelled Corey Lynn Calter's name as Corey Lyn Calter.]

The announcement was followed by a series of runway shows featuring up-and-coming local labels including men's swimwear label Robert Joseph, women's loungewear and sleepwear label Unspoken, men's label Angelino, women's swimwear line Odina Surf, action sports brand The Continuous Line, Marisa Kenson and Coco Johnsen.

The event, dubbed "California Dreaming," was hosted by "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'" Taylor Armstrong and comedian Brett Walkow and was organized as a fundraiser for local nonprofit Fashion Business Inc.

RELATED:

Concept LA Fashion Week spring/summer 2012

Zoe Saldana to host Gen Art's return to L.A fashion week

Style Fashion Week Day One: Alternative Apparel's oasis of color

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos, from left: Taylor Armstrong, left, and Brett Walkow welcome the crowd to a fashion fund-raiser at the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral in Los Angeles on Thursday; designer Nally Park expresses her thanks after her line, Millie & Nally, won the 2011 Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

Style Fashion Week Day One: Alternative Apparel's oasis of color

Alternative Apparel closed out the first night of Style Fashion Week L.A. shows at Vibiana on Tuesday night, with a runway collection of sun-bleached, surf-softened pieces that hit the sweet spot of SoCal casual.

Photos: Alternative Apparel spring 2012 runway

Titled "Oasis of Color" and inspired by the desert landscape around Palm Springs, the collection was about as laid-back as clothes can be without being sleepwear. It's all too easy to imagine dudes kicking back at Ace Hotel's fire pits in the striped Baja pullovers (a.k.a. "drug rugs") and dusty-colored shorts that came down the runway, accompanied by the kind of lithe, free-spirited women who go to Coachella wearing camouflage-print bikini bottoms and striped tank tops knotted well north of the navel.

Indeed, the men's and women's collections came across as quintessential  Coachella clothes -- comfortable and cool enough for daytime in the desert and with layered pieces sturdy enough to sleep in if necessary. The women's collection included asymmetrical maxi-dresses, high-waisted miniskirts, sheer tops, mesh tanks and beaded Baja ponchos. The men's collection featured  pullovers, billowy shorts, breezy striped button-front shirts and vintage-athletic-inspired zip-front hoodies, shirts and shorts. 

Also on the runway were pieces from the label's new assortment of nautical-inspired bags and accessories that will launch in the spring, including canvas and leather satchels, totes and carryalls in a variety of colorful solids, stripes and prints.

Alternative Apparel keys so perfectly into the laid-back L.A.-area vibe, it's no wonder the brand chose Venice as the site of its flagship store, which opened earlier this year at 1337 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Based on what came down the catwalk, consider making that address your first stop when planning your next Palm Springs road trip.   

RELATED:

Style Fashion Week Day One: Stop Staring's retro-evolution

Alternative Apparel celebrates fall with a choir and a lively crowd

Alternative Apparel debut grabs the spotlight at L.A. fashion week's three-ring circus

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Top, looks from the spring 2012 Alternative Apparel runway show that took place downtown on Oct. 18 during Los Angeles fashion week. Middle, founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Alterman and design director Lissa Zwahlen pose after the show flanked by runway models. Bottom, a spring 2012 runway look. Credit: John Shearer / Getty Images

Style Fashion Week LA Day One: Stop Staring's retro-evolution

Stop Staring reprised last season's role as the first runway show out of the gate at fledgling Style Fashion Week L.A., sending its spring and summer 2012 collection down the catwalk at the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Although they still hewed to the body-hugging retro-rockabilly aesthetic that's made the Paramount-based vintage-inspired line popular, the spring and summer offerings designed by Alicia Estrada noticably dialed down the number of eye-popping all-over prints by mixing in some muted solids, subdued pinstripes and a handful of pieces with quarter-sized polka-dot paillettes (in both black-on-white and tone-on-tone versions) and even some Lurex, all of which allowed the more structured, architectural aspects of the pieces -- especially around the bodice -- to stand out.

But there was still plenty of pattern to go around, with seasonally appropriate tropical palm frond prints joining a bouquet of daisies, roses  and budding branches (complete with a yellow birdie) sprinkled throughout the collection of back-baring, high-waisted halter-neck jumpsuits, curve-clinging gowns, form-flattering cocktail dresses and generous skirts paired with midriff-exposing tops.

The color palette was heavy on the black and white, with the occasional piece in pale peach, sparkling silver or sherbet shades of orange or green and punctuated with accents of rose red or canary yellow. 

All in all, the spring and summer 2012 Stop Staring collection came across as more subdued and sophisticated take on the wardrobe of the bygone era of the '40s and '50s. Which makes us wonder if it might be time to coin to describe the process by which a retro-inspired line starts to evolve the way Estrada's clearly seems to be.

I think "retro-evolutionary" has a nice ring to it.

RELATED:

Concept LA Fashion Week spring/summer 2012

Zoe Saldana to host Gen Art's return to L.A fashion week

Stop Staring kicks off thin slate of Style Fashion Week shows

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Looks from Stop Staring's spring and summer 2012 runway collection designed by Alicia Estrada, who is at the center of the top right photo, appearing at Tuesday's runway finale at the former St. Vibinana's Cathedral in downtown L.A. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Fashion Week and designers featured on KTLA tonight

I’ll be talking about local design talent and the events surrounding L.A Fashion Week this evening at 8:40  on "KTLA 5 News Sunday Edition."

Join me and designers Bryan Hearn, Alana Hale, Chambers and the brand Alternative Apparel who will all be displaying looks from their spring/summer 2012 collections live in studio.

The Concept L.A. Fashion Week event has commenced but Style Fashion Week, L.A Fashion Weekend and Gen Art have yet to happen.

Find out more about the events and get a closer look at some super talented L.A designers.

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Concept L.A Fashion Week spring/summer 2012

Emily Factor teams up with jewelry line Alex and Lee

Zoe Saldana to host Gen Art's return to L.A Fashion Week

— Melissa Magsaysay

Photos, from left: Designer Alana Hale; menswear from Gen Art designer Chambers. Credits: Alana Hale; Chambers

Concept LA Fashion Week spring/summer 2012

The high temperatures on Thursday soared even higher inside the air conditioner-less Ace Gallery in mid-Wilshire, where the first night of Concept LA fashion week, a mix of fashion and art presentations, took place.

People flocked into the second floor space, many of them dressed like '90s club kids -- skin-tight body  suits with Grace Jones-esque hoods, giant platform creepers and wacky sunglasses worn indoors (Gaga would be so proud)

Peppering one long hallway was a series of art and fashion installations. A line called Curly V (designed by a guy named Curly V) who previously worked for Jeremy Scott before going out on his own, featured '60s dresses with paper flower skirts done in pastel colors

Next door, Halloween seemed to come early. Makeup artists Melanie Mills and Summer Rose had women dressed in full-on feather gear for an installation called “Futuristic Ice Hunters.” There was even a live owl sitting on a branch. When I asked a guy standing in front of the installation to help me make sense of the presentation, he replied, “I dunno. I just brought the owl.”

Nuvula was the first runway show, sending out about 60 looks, some repeats or a dress in several color ways.

The line, designed by Rebeca Victoria, had a bunch of different themes and inspirations informing the often circus-like look of the collection. Kimonos, fencing vests, flapper fringe, plaid and sporty piping popped up throughout the lineup. There was no cohesion and about five too many ideas happening. The show notes stated the 1920s, 1930s, Asian luxury, Art Nouveau and the fragility of butterflies as themes for the spring 2012 line, all influenced by the 5-year-old brand's signature themes of ballet, the circus, abstract painting, the '60s, dandyism, Elizabethan times and rock and roll -- this was also stated on their show notes.

Despite the mishmash of whimsical plaid shirts caged in by body harnesses, fringe and kimonos, there were some promising pieces.

The sporty, bamboo fabric (the line is entirely green and uses natural fabrics) racer back tops and dresses with bright piping looked well made and had a true direction. Nuvula should edit all around (maybe also cut the five-minute operatic performance that opened the show--lovely but with absolutely no connection to the presentation) and focus on the colorful, sustainable and well-made sporty items.

It was Mad Max meet Michael’s arts and crafts at the S&G show. There were a lot of ombre dyed linen pieces with cuffs and hems shredded and some looks had small, random pieces of fabric around a model’s midriff or more ombre linen this time tied halter-style around the neck and back.
The post-apocalyptic approach to dressing can certainly be interesting and dramatic, but at times it was pretty literal. The high point here was the leather jackets. Particularly the men's fitted black leather styles that would be a welcome staple in most stylish men’s wardrobes. Also, a few crochet items had a nice, tactile and earthy feel to them.

The concept of Concept is cool. A gorgeous gallery (nevermind the heat) decked out with young, passionate artists, designers and revelers who love to get dressed up and attend a party. Last season’s lineup of talent was maybe just a bit more focused as well as complementary to each other. But to hone in on the fashion show aspect of the event, only one word comes to mind -– edit. There is no need to show every sample in every color and size. A designer’s message and vision are so much clearer when an audience (much less a buyer) doesn’t have to visually weed out the random bits.

RELATED:

Emily Factor teams up with jewelry line Alex and Lee

Zoe Saldana to host Gen Art's return to L.A fashion week

Concept Fashion Week bring art, fashion and culture together

--Melissa Magsaysay

Photos:

Top: Nuvula fashion show at Concept LA Fashion Week Gen Art held at the Ace Gallery, 5514 Wilshire Blvd., on Thursday. (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

Middle: S&G fashion show at Concept LA Fashion Week Gen Art held at the Ace Gallery on Thursday. (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

Middle left: Plaid with harnesses from Nuvula/ (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

Bottom: A leather jacket from S&G/(Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)